Welcome to the End This is just the Beginning
by ProblematicIndifference
Summary: After the Pack falls apart and the worlds of three young wolves are changed forever, Brady, Collin, and Seth have to move on and come to terms with this life. They may feel like it's the end, but really; this is just the beginning.
1. Chapter 1

**For those who are joining from my two other Pack fanfictions, please don't think I'm giving up on them. I'm most definitely not. But this idea came over me, and I need to see how it goes. Don't worry, it's gonna be short, I believe. I'll finish OoaLH and PH as soon as this is finished. I just really have to write it. Brady and Collin are begging me, and everyone knows I can't ignore them(: They're far too cute! **

**This isn't going to be a happy story for the most part. The ending will be, but the beginning isn't going to make anyone smile as far as I'm concerned. I hope that doesn't make anyone want to give up on it, because I'm kind of pouring my soul into it. Reviews are always appreciated. Please, no silent readers. Thanks!**

_Pain ripped through the wolf's body as his Alpha was killed. It was terror, pure and simple, and it left him shaken. There was no one left, as far as he could tell. This coven was bigger, stronger, and they had killed them all. Collin found himself running, chasing absolutely nothing, and Brady could only sit by with his face buried in the sand. His friend, his oldest and closest friend, was slowly losing his mind, and there was nothing the young wolf could do about it. _

_ Jake's body was lifeless when the found it, sprawled out in it's human form. He was ripped apart and only his scent could identify him now. Noses turned to the sky, both young wolves let out bloodcurtling howls that were felt by anyone close enough to hear them._

Brady sat up in bed with a start, sweat pouring off his body. It had been nearly five years, but the dreams never really stopped. If they weren't every night, it was every other night. He was so used to them, sometimes it only fazed him minimally to remembered that horrible day.

He climbed out of bed and walked to the living room. Collin was sitting on the couch, his imprint tucked under his arm. Collin had met Amy a year ago, and had been much better for it. He wasn't broken like Brady was anymore, which his friend was grateful for. Seth, the only other survivor of the Pack massacre, was the worst of them all. Once the strong, positive Beta of Jacob Black, he was now a broken, unhappy Alpha to Collin and Brady. With the Cullen's gone, no more boys were changing on the reservation. There wasn't anything for them to be afraid of anymore.

"Hey man." Collin said, his eyes flickering from Amy to the television every few seconds. Slowly, he stood up, laying her down against the pillow. He froze for a hlaf-second, making sure she was comfortable, and then led Brady outside where they could talk openly. "More nightmares?" Collin asked, leaning his forearms against the rail that enclosed the porch and giving Brady a sad look.

"Always the same, man." Brady said, running his hand down his face, as if that could wash away his pain. It was a terrible fate, to have to remember that night over and over every single day. But Brady never wanted to forget either. Jacob, Paul, Jared, Quil, Embry, Leah, and Sam were the strongest and bravest people Brady and Collin had known. If this was what it took to keep them in his memory, he'd tough it out for the rest of his life.

"Maybe one day they'll stop." Collin said, his voice lowering to a whisper. It wasn't something they talked about normally, and never so close to daylight. Collin still had them too, but not as much as Brady. Maybe once a month, if he was lucky.

"And then what? We forget about all of them?" Brady asked, tears brimming in his eyes again. "I don't ever want to lose that memory, Coll. They were are family." he said, feeling dejected once again.

Collin opened his mouth the reply, but they both tensed when they felt Seth approaching. It was never good when he came to them this early in the morning.

He stepped out of the woods and they felt the tension rolling off of him. Seth hadn't aged gracefully. His face was filled with sorrow at the loss of everything he once held dear to him. Leah had been a huge blow to Seth, breaking him into the defenseless guy they watched coming their way. His hair, which was chopped very short, was messy and sticking up everywhere and his eyes were void of anything significant.

"The Cullens have asked to come back for a short time. It's their annual visit with Charlie." he said, looking blank. It made them both cringe internally to see him so empty. "We'll have to patrol again until their gone, just to be safe." And that was all there was to it. With that, he left, not even looking back. Brady couldn't recall the last time Seth Clearwater had even smiled, much less felt anything at all.

"Do you think he'll ever move past this?" Brady asked quietly.

"I don't think any of us will." Collin whispered, pushing away from the rail and patting Brady's shoulder before going back inside to the only piece of real happiness he had left; Amy.

As long as there were imprints, maybe all hope wasn't lost.

**As I mentioned, pretty depressing to begin with. Brady is really going to be the focus of this, because I just like him for some reason. Obviously, Collin and Seth are going to be important too. And so will the Cullens. I don't have a strict plan, but I know where I'd like to take this. It can only go uphill from here, just so you know. Nothing worse is going to happen, because the boys just can't take anymore. Please, review(:**


	2. Chapter 2

"Brady, dude, get up!" Collin yelled, shaking Brady hard. Feeling very groggy and extremely annoyed, Brady shoved Collin with all his might, knocking him backwards a little. "You've been asleep way too long. You're gonna miss Emily's dinner, and she'll never forgive you. None of the imprints will."

Brady groaned, feeling sick to his stomach. This one day of the year, he just wanted to sleep through it all. There had to be a way to get out of this dinner and out of the memories it would bring. But he knew, without doubt, he could never disappoint Emily or Kim that way. And Renesmee, who only left her family this one day every year, wouldn't be severely upset if he didn't come.

"Come on. Claire's been asking for you." Collin said, before leaving the room. Brady threw himself into a pair of cut off sweats and a t-shirt that Claire had given him for Christmas the year before. She had picked it out herself at Walmart and it was still his favorite possession. It had three wolves, baying at the moon. It always actually kind of perfect, in a weird way. Even at eight years old, she had a terrifyingly good idea of what had happened. She wasn't niave enough to not notice what had gone wrong, but she wasn't taking it as badly as the other imprints. She still broke down from time to time, missing Quil in a way none of them could handle. Sometimes, Brady was the only one who could make her feel better. And if he was being honest, she made him feel better too.

Emily's house hadn't changed at all, but Emily herself was a mess all the time. She'd lost her only reason to live and she wasn't really living anymore. The only time she acted halfway normal was when one of the remaining boys were around. They made her feel close to her lost love and she appreciated it when they dropped by every now and then.

Brady went into the house without knocking and pulled Emily into a tight hug. She clung to him, silent tears falling on his shirt. He let her go after a few minutes, kissing her scarred cheek. She gave him a weak smile and pointed to the back door, "Claire's asking for you already."

He managed a good, decent smile as he stepped out the door, and the little girl launched herself at him. She had obviously been crying again and he held her tight, burying his face in her hair. She let go, really sobbing now, on his shoulder. Kim was sitting in a lawn chair, her eyes filling with tears that she managed to push back as she smiled a little at Brady. Collin was already there, holding Amy tightly in his lap. He looked happy enough, all things considered. He was probably the only one.

"Kim, how you been?" Brady asked, sitting down with Claire, who was calming down a little. Kim had left the reservation shortly after Jared died. She couldn't handle the pain of it all and she needed time away from it. She still hadn't come back for good, but she always made it to Emily's dinners. They talked a lot, from what Brady had heard. Kim had toughened herself up; she didn't let the emotions get to her. She was hard, solid, and she never cried over it anymore. The only time she even teared up was when she saw Claire and how hard it still was on the girl.

"Renesmee's here." Collin said suddenly. They could smell her; leech mixed with human. It was the perfect mixture. She smelled beautiful and it was never overpowering. She came out the back door, looking tired, as she did every time they saw her. Thinking about Jacob and what had happened always drained her emotionally.

"Hey guys." she said, tucking one of her deep red curls behind her ear as she bent over to hug Brady and Claire. They hugged her back. Today was a big day for hugs and crying. They watched her brush the tears out of her eyes as she went to hug Collin and Amy, then Kim.

Emily came out then, sitting next to Kim, who put her arm around the older woman's shoulders. The last five years had been hard on the whole assembly, but Emily was the only one who really showed it.

"Seth, dammit, get your ass here. You're gonna upset Emily." Brady whispered furiously into his phone, feeling very aggitated with his Alpha. It was completely ridiculous that he wasn't there; he felt he needed to patrol, since the Cullens were there. "Nothing is gonna happen, and we'd be able to stop it if anything got close. Just get here. Now." he said, snapping the phone shut before Seth could reply. He hadn't been fit to lead for a while, so it was never had for Brady or Collin to overstep him.

"Is he coming?" Claire asked, coming up behind Brady unexpectedly. Brady just nodded. Claire came to about his hip and she wrapped her arms around his leg. He scooped her up and sat down on the ground with her in his lap.

"How've you been, Claire-bear?" he asked, touching her hair soothingly. She sniffled, big tears falling down her face. He brushed them away automatically, hating to watch her cry.

"It feels like I have a hole, right here," she said, pointing to the middle of her chest. "It's like Quil was there, since I was born, and now he's disappeared, and I'm not a real person anymore." she said, her voice cracking as she cried some more. "Sometimes, Mommy talks about sending me to get help, because I'm not happy at all and she can't understand it. The only reason she doesn't is because of Aunt Emily." She wiped her own tears away, her voice soft and lonely. "You remind me of Quil, Brady. He was strong and smart and he loved me a lot." She sobbed then, and Brady nearly lost it. It was horrible, watching this little girl suffer and not be able to do a damn thing about it.

"I love you a lot too, Claire. I can't fill the hole, but I'm a part of you too. And I promise, I won't go anywhere." he said, rocking her back and forth as she cried. Collin stepped up behind them, his eyes bloodshot and swollen.

"None of us will leave you, Claire. We're all going to be with you." Collin said,squatting next to them and holding out his arms to her. She launched into him, a fresh wave of tears falling.

Brady couldn't handle it anymore. Year after year. Every time this girl cried, something inside him broke again. He had to leave. He had to get away from it all. This wasn't health anymore. He would never heal this way. He went inside, finding paper and a pen and writing four different letters. This was all he could manage before running into the woods and never looking back.


	3. Chapter 3

**This is going to seem a little confusing, but it'll all make sense in the end.**

Emily,

I know no one will understand this, but this was a good decision for me. Please, don't hate me. And make sure Claire believes my letter. It's important that she knows I never left her either. I never will. I just can't be here anymore. I love you, I really do. I hope, someday, I'm strong enough to come home. Just call me if you ever need me.

Brady

Emily never called. She didn't want to talk to Brady if it was so easy for him to pick up and leave. She did as he asked and gave Claire her letter, but after that, she called it quits on the boy. He was gone, just like the rest of them. Just like her Sam. He was gone, and as far as she was concerned, he was never coming back.

Collin,

Man, I'll keep paying rent from where ever it is I end up. You take care of those girls till I get back. I know you can do it. I love you.

Brady

Collin really wasn't surprised. He'd seen it coming for a few years and he knew he's have Brady's back no matter what. That was his brother and his friend, and no matter what anyone says, Collin didn't believe he was running away. Rent be damned.

Claire,

I know I left. I know that's inexcusable. You can hate me, but never stop calling me. I'm always a phone call away and I'll call you every day if that's what you want. I didn't lie when I said I wouldn't leave you. This may seem like me leaving, but I'll come back. Don't worry and keep in contact.

Brady

Claire read and re-read that letter over and over, and it never failed to make her cry. But she knew Brady would never lie to her, and she knew without doubt, he would come back. After all, he wasn't Quil, no matter how much he sometimes reminded her of him.

Kim,

You're the strongest of all of us. Never forget that.

Brady

Kim, in all her effort, had almost blocked out Jared's death. Leaving had helped a lot. But Brady's acceptance and belief in her strength was enough to send her over the edge once more. And no one knew if she'd come back this time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Eight Years Later**

The years had changed Claire, but not in any positive way. She called Brady every other day, and he called her the days she didn't. Eight years filled with daily phone conversations. And then when Brady started texting, they never stopped talking. He wasn't aging, perpetually sixteen, no matter how hard he tried to stop. But as Claire's sixteeth birthday approached, she wondered what she wanted.

She hated to admit that she was falling in love with Brady. It wasn't healthy; she was his brother's imprint, dead or alive. Not that she could control her feelings, but she sure as hell wished she could. She didn't feel like she was turning sixteen. She felt much older than that. She blamed what happened, and maybe what happened was part of the reason she was falling for Brady so desperately. She knew he loved her, but it would never be more than brotherly affection to him. As far as anyone was concerned, she still belonged to Quil.

She told Emily all of this, of course. She had been living with Emily for around a year now, because her parents couldn't handle her anymore. That had come straight from their mouths, no exageration on her part. Emily, who was standing by the stove and listening to her almost-sixteen year old relation babble, was actually quite happy the girl was feeling anything at all. She had been so blank since Quil's death, it was almost like she'd be this shell of a girl forever.

"And I can't expect anything, you know? He was close to Quil and he'd never even think about it." Claire said now, sounding extremely frustrated. She was pulling her long, curly dark hair back into a ponytail and looking at Emily with serious and nervous eyes.

"You never know, honey." Emily replied, patting her cheek lightly.

But Claire did know. She knew Brady like the back of her hand. You don't talk to a person every minute of every day for your entire like and not know them. Brady was very easy to read and it was very obvious to her that it wasn't like that for him. "Maybe I'll join a convent, and I won't have to worry about it anymore." she huffed, standing up to rinse of her plate.

"Won't have to worry about what?"

The all too familiar voice came from behind Claire and she shrieked in surprise, not having heard the screen door open while she was so lost in thoughts of nuns and long black robes. She spun around, the plate falling out of her hands, to look at Brady. Yes, he was really there. Yes, he was actually looking at her. And yes, she actually launched herself at him, spinning in the air as he caught her. She'd never been so happy to hug someone in all her life as she was right then.

"My God, you are so different." he whispered in her ear, his voice sounding beautiful without the static of a phone between them. He was hugging her for all he was worth and she never wanted him to let go.

"I missed you." she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

He set her on her feet, stepping back to look at her. The loss of contact effected them both in strange ways and he reached out, cupping her cheek with his hand. She leaned into the touch, not realizing how much she needed him.

"You're beautiful, Claire. I can't believe I stayed away for so long." He pulled her back to him, burying his face in her hair like he had done eight years ago, and Claire felt at home again.

It was like the sun was shining again. That's how it felt to Brady. Being able to hold Claire and talk to her face to face. Seeing how much she had changed from that little girl he used to love, to the sixteen year old girl with a mind of almost thirty that he was utterly in love with; it nearly brought him to his knees. Claire was stunning, beautiful in a way that he wasn't used to. Sure, there were pretty girls out there, some even good looking enough to peak his interest; but no one looked like Claire. Every now and then she'd send him pictures, but it was never like the real thing.

Sitting on a blanket on the beach, he wondered idely how he had stayed away for so long. It was a wonder he hadn't completely lost his mind, being away from her. She lay back on the now-sand covered blanket, looking very content behind her sunglasses.

"You know, I was beginning to wonder if this was always going to be a long distance relationship." she said, pushing the glasses down just enough so he could see her wink. He just laughed, patting her thigh twice before jumping up. She watched him with interest as he stripped off his shirt, showing off just a little, before laying back down.

"So, tell me what's been going on." he suggested. They never talked about anything serious and she knew what he was really asking; Why was she living with Emily?

"Emily really straightened me out this last year. I was kind of getting into a lot of trouble." She sat up, wanting to see his face when she told him what she'd been hiding from him. It wasn't her proudest time, but she couldn't keep things from Brady and she knew he wanted to know. He gave her a look and waited for her to move on. "I started hanging out with older kids at school. For a while, I was smoking, but I quit when Mom caught on. Then, when I didn't have that outlet anymore..." she paused, unsure of what to say. Her hand instinctively covered her wrist, an action that Brady noticed.

She barely flinched when he grabbed her right hand, making her move her left away from the criss-crossing scars all over her wrist. He froze, almost statue-like for a few seconds, before he jumped up and walked several feet away from her. The air around him was vibrating noticably as he tried to calm himself down. Slowly, she got to her feet, not really sure what she could say to calm him now. He was glowing with tension.

"Brady..." she said, keeping her voice low and relaxed. He held up his hand to silence her, his whole body vibrating violently once before stopping completely. He stepped over to her, pulling her into his arms. He pinned her body to his, one arm around her back while his other hand held her head against his chest.

"How can I protect you from pain if you're the one causing it?" he asked, his voice thick with concern. She felt tears well up, but she held them back. This pain was supposed to be for just her, but she wasn't the only one effected. She'd hurt her parents, Emily, and Brady. God only knows what Quil would have thought. She had to remind herself; if Quil had been around, it wouldn't have happened.

She missed him so much sometimes.

"I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. That's why I didn't tell you while you were gone. I thought you were better off not knowing this." she whispered, feeling sick with the tears she was trying so hard not to shed.

"And what were you going to do once I got back?" he asked, letting go of her head so he could look at her face.

She really considered that; what was her plan then? "To be honest, I didn't think that far ahead. I was just trying to make the pain stop." Her voice broke and she stopped talking, burying her face against the chest once more. It was easier to hide the tears this way.

"Listen to me, Claire, and you better damn well hear this; if I ever see those marks on you again -and I don't care about the reasons- I will find something to do to get you help. A doctor, medication, I don't care. But I won't let it go again. Do you understand?" She nodded, because it was all that was left for her to do. "And Claire?" She looked at him, uncertainly. "I missed you so damn much."

Claire knew, without doubt, that she'd never hurt herself again. Maybe she had lost Quil and every other wolf she loved along with him. But she'd had Collin for as long as she could remember, and Seth was still around regardless of his mental state. And right there on First Beach, she knew without doubt, that she would always have Brady.

THE END


End file.
